Growing Pains
by Blizzaga Saga
Summary: When evolving Pikachu seems the only way to make her healthy, she and Ash seek an alternative. But as is often the case for the duo, things don't go as planned... human female Pikachu, pikashipping, and lemon later on. DISCONTINUED.
1. Pikachu is Too Awesome

_Blizzaga Saga_: Hello! I'm really excited to be writing this. I've always been a big fan of pikashipping, and there's nowhere near enough of it. I'm doing this without any real planning. I got the idea for this after Red murdered me with his level 88 Pikachu in HeartGold. There will be a lemon later on, and yes, Pikachu is female in this story. I don't feel like that violates anything canon since Pikachu's gender has never mattered in the anime. (to my knowledge, anyway.)

Chapter 1: Pikachu is Too Awesome

"It is a law of nature that if something becomes too awesome, the universe will conspire to destroy it."

No matter how many times a Thundershock hit him, it still hurt as much as it had when he first met her at Professor Oak's lab as a little boy. His numerous traveling partners over the past five years used to joke that he had probably developed an immunity to pain caused by electricity due to her shocking him so much, but Pikachu's power coursing through his body, even though nowadays it was mostly playful little jolts, was something he could never get used to. She was simply too powerful, much more powerful than ordinary Pikachu, even when she wasn't trying to be rough.

Right now, the force of it was so strong that tears burned his eyes. Salty trails on his face conducted enough electricity to tickle his cheeks, though he hardly felt it due to the pain in the rest of his body.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled the three syllables that he and she used to express so many emotions to each other. A desperate plea for her to stop and a strong declaration that he would not abandon her despite his own suffering carried them now.

The attack did not hit just him; bright yellow leapt from the small creature in all directions, scattering light that bounced off the overcast sky. Though it was night, Ash had to shield his eyes as he struggled to move closer to her. "Pikapi!" Excruciating pain and a message for anyone within earshot to please make it stop carried the word. But Ash was the only one there, somehow still standing and inching toward her despite the electricity radiating from her. She wanted to move toward him as well, but with so much of her energy leaping into the air without her consent, her body had nothing to work with.

Ash finally dove forward with a strength he was scared he wouldn't have. He passed directly through the brunt of her attacks and fell with his hands grasping her. He had no idea what he was doing or how simply hugging her to himself was going to help, but he did it anyway. The close-range shocks that followed were by far stronger than the previous ones, but he held her to his stomach tightly, not sure whether his gesture was comforting or crushing her.

"Pikapi!" Her paws clenched his shirt and she buried her face into his chest, shuddering violently. As he felt consciousness leaving him, it finally stopped. Route 1 was dark once more and he no longer felt pain or even the rain hitting him. He felt something at last—panic—when he realized that Pikachu was no longer moving, but it was too late to even turn her around in his arms and see if she was okay. Ash slumped over, and his eyes closed.

* * *

Running the entirety of Route 1 with a barely conscious Pikachu in his arms was vaguely nostalgic in its terror. Fortunately, this time there were no wild birds chasing them like there were at the start of his pokemon journey, but he still moved with the same urgency as he had back then. "Chaaa…" his partner moaned weakly.

"Don't worry, buddy. Professor Oak will know what to do." Ash hugged her closer to his chest and picked up the pace, removing one hand from her just long enough to spin his cap backward. His trademark determined look reassured Pikachu as she looked up at her trainer. "We've been through tighter spots than this, and I won't let anything happen to you."

When the morning sun roused him, Pikachu had already been awake but immobile in the middle of a charred crater. Ash took less than a minute to rejoice at the fact that she was alive, register his own pain, marvel at the damage to the green plain, realize some Rattata had dug through his backpack and stolen his food and potions, and decide that taking Pikachu in his arms and running to Pallet was the best chance to ensure her survival. But Ash was not much better off than the limp bundle of wet fur: parts of his skin and clothes were singed and his limbs did not want to move, almost as if Pikachu's attacks had partially paralyzed him as he'd seen happen every so often to those unfortunate enough to battle her. He grunted and breathed heavily in his refusal to slow down, the happy, serene landmarks of his quaint birthplace clashing violently with his plight. Pikachu stared up at him. He was hurting so much more than he let on, she could tell. "Pika…kachu…" she said in a way that she hoped would encourage him and express her gratitude.

Pallet was the smallest and least developed town in all of Kanto: no Pokemon Center, no Pokemart to buy medicine for Pikachu, no public transportation, and no cab companies to call. He just kept pushing himself until they miraculously made it to the Oak research laboratory. "You're going to be all right, Pikachu..."

Pikachu was unsure that they would have been able to get into the building had running into the door not been enough to push it open. "Pikapi…" Using energy she had been saving since Ash first collected her in his arms, she raised her head just high enough to lick his cheek.

Ash stiffened, not immediately realizing the source of the sudden wetness—after all, Pikachu had only done that twice before, one of those times ironically enough being on Route 1 just after beating the Spearow. When he registered what happened, he cradled her closer and more gently. Pikachu closed her eyes and almost fell asleep in his arms until—"Professor!" Ash yelled loudly, causing her to moan in pain. He continued, oblivious to her headache. "Somebody! We need help!"

The professor was the first to investigate the yelling. The fatherly smile he typically greeted the youth with fell from his face when he saw the condition of his guests. "Ash! What on Earth happened?"

Catching his breath, Ash handed over his friend. "Pikachu needs help," he said simply before falling into a chair. His arms hung uselessly at his side, finally getting much-needed rest—Pikachu was not heavy, but carrying her for so long was exhausting.

"I'll have my assistants tend to her immediately." After handing the pokemon to a curious young woman who just showed up, he held out an arm to prevent him from following. "You come with me, Ash. You don't look much better than she does."

"But Pikachu—"

"I'm sure she'll be all right, and if anything happens, my assistants will let you know."

"Pikapi," she called weakly as the young woman carried her away through a doorway that closed behind her. Ash took a step after her, but Oak blocked the way once more. Anger flashed through the fifteen-year-old boy, but it faded quickly. Though he almost refused to believe it, he knew he could do nothing to help. Aside from battling and training techniques, he knew little in regards to the physiology of pokemon, and his experience in healing was limited to spraying potions.

He followed the professor in a different direction. "So, Ash, what happened this time?" Oak's tone was playful, like it usually was. "Did you two have to save the world again?"

After his rough day, Ash didn't see the humor in such a comment, though he normally would have laughed. "No. Pikachu's problem has been getting worse lately."

"What? Are you telling me that Pikachu did this to you?" The boy nodded, and the professor's countenance lost all traces of amusement. "I'm sorry. I thought some wild pokemon had attacked you two. Had I known the problem was this bad, I would have sent someone to Viridian City to pick you up." Ash stifled another wave of anger. He thought they had just been attacked by some Spearow? As if there was anything out there that he and Pikachu couldn't beat. "But we'll talk about that after we put some bandages on those burns. Wash up while I find some clothes for you."

Showering felt great after the initial sting from the infected areas. Days of sweat and dirt washed away as hot water soothed him, but he did not stay put for long. "Is Pikachu all right?" he asked immediately after throwing on his dirty clothes, not even bothering to wait for Oak to give him whatever outfit he had found.

"It's only been a few minutes. We've given her some medicine and sedated her to prevent her from accidentally using more energy. Once she wakes up, we'll run some tests and clean her. Until then, why don't you tell me what happened? I remember you calling me last week from Cerulean. You said that Pikachu was having trouble controlling her electricity."

"At first I thought she was just having an off day, but the problem only grew worse. She's been in pain the entire week, so I took your advice and came here. But last night…it got really bad. She lost control and all of her power escaped at once. It was lucky no one else is around, or someone could have been hurt badly. She lost so much energy that she couldn't move anymore."

"I see. I received your other pokemon not long ago, so I know why they weren't with you, but where is Brock? Why wasn't he there to help you?"

"After we met up with Misty, he was so impressed with how far she and I have come that he felt he hadn't matured enough. He went off on his own back to Professor Ivy's."

A nod. "Well, I'll let you get some rest. I'm sure when you wake up, we'll have some more information on Pikachu." Ash wanted to protest, but the speaker had already left. Scowling as he lay onto a bed, he slowly realized he actually did need rest. Sighing, he wondered for not the first time that week if he had really matured any in the last five years and if he really getting anywhere. Despite all his hard work, people still saw him as a child, he still made stupid mistakes, and he still found himself running for his life from time to time.

Misty was certainly more mature. He had been just as impressed as Brock when they visited her at the gym last week. Her battling skills had grown from all the trainers who flocked to the gym for a Cascade Badge and were probably at least on par with his own, though he would never admit that to her. He wondered what it would be like if she saw him as mature. The thought made him giggle in a decidedly immature way. Traveling with her again was going to be great.

Pikachu came first, though. If she wasn't well, there was no point in even leaving the lab. He'd stay for as long as it took for her to recover, even if it meant giving up his first chance to travel with Misty in two years.

Ash tried to sleep. He really did. But he was too stubborn to do as he was told when his friend was hurt, and aside from that, it didn't feel right going to bed without his little buddy by his side. He wondered if Pikachu was having similar issues, if she was even feeling all right.

That did it. Leaping out of bed after two hours of unsuccessful sleep attempts, he walked briskly to every area of the building until he found one that still had people working at this hour. "You should be in bed."

"How's Pikachu doing?"

Oak sighed at his determination not to listen. "The sedative has worn off, but I don't think there's need for a second dose. I believe I've found the solution." Suddenly, Ash was very interested in what he had to say. He sighed once more. "I had to consult Professor Elm on the matter.

"What? You mean there are things you don't know?" Ash asked, genuinely surprised.

"Of course. Otherwise there wouldn't be a need for other professors. Elm is the expert on pokemon evolution."

"What does evolution have to do with this?"

"I'll get to that. Tell me this, first. Exactly how strong is Pikachu?"

Ash managed to smirk through his worry. "She's the best there is." His pride deflated when the older man looked at him somberly.

"…Hm…then it is as I thought. When pokemon grown stronger, they evolve into new forms to allow the best use of their abilities. It is a natural process, much like growing up for humans, and it's why Pikachu habitats are found near sources of thunderstones. The properties of the strange energy that pokemon have which allows them to evolve are still mostly unknown, but Professor Elm believes evolving helps them to better utilize that energy."

"Oh," was all Ash could say, not really getting it.

"I'm afraid your Pikachu has grown beyond the normal limits of its species, and its inability to correctly harness that energy is what's causing its pain and loss of control. Quite simply, it's too small and doesn't have the right body type to control all the power it's gained, so that power is constantly looking for an escape."

"So the problem is that Pikachu's…too awesome?" the trainer asked, confused.

"If you want to think of it that way, yes. Pikachu is too awesome for her own good." Professor Oak laughed. Ash didn't think it was funny.

"You're saying…it's my fault she's in this much pain?" A dozen memories of intense training came to his mind. Forcing electricity through her to get her strong enough to beat Brock, jogging together in the snow, making her hit targets with Thunderbolt…had he pushed her too hard? Had he put his dream of becoming a master before his best friend's health?

"Certainly not. You couldn't have predicted this. I don't know if there's ever been a Pikachu as strong as yours. However, it will be your fault if she continues to suffer. Given the circumstances, I believe you should evolve her."

Any other trainer likely would have figured out that that was the direction Oak had been taking this conversation as soon as the subject of evolution came up, but the statement took Ash by complete surprise. The idea of evolving Pikachu was as foreign as the idea of putting her in a pokeball, and his jaw went slack as he let out a stupefied, "Whaaa—?!"


	2. Ash is Also Awesome, to a Lesser Extent

_Blizzaga Saga_: I'll go ahead and say it: Ash is badass. Most people think he's retarded, but could any of you honestly say you were smarter than him when you were ever-loving _ten_? He may not be the brightest trainer, but he's an action hero when his friends and his dreams are on the line. Just admit that you got a secret thrill every time he turned his hat backward in season 1, and we can be friends. :p

I'm sorry for not replying to the reviews I got for the first chapter. This site is still new to me, and I haven't figured out how to do it yet. Should you review this chapter, I'd be eternally grateful for an explanation. (I'm an idiot with computers. Don't have judgment.) Thanks to Rougelover, Major Mike Powell III, and Whateveryouwanttocallme for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the title of the last chapter, and I'll edit the Spearow tidbits when I get some free time so they don't drag so much.

Chapter 2: Ash is Also Awesome, to a Lesser Extent

"When Ash Ketchum turns his hat backward, you know shit is about to go down."

Pikachu sat in his lap and licked the wounds on the arms that encircled her. When Ash winced, she stopped and looked away from him. "Pikachu," he tried. She didn't answer. "You know I'm not mad, right? I'm more concerned with how you're doing."

"Her decreased appetite and physical activity are side effects of the medicine and are only temporary," Oak offered cheerfully. "She'll be back to her old self soon."

"That's not what I meant." He couldn't articulate it, but he knew that her ears, always twitching in happiness or excitement or curiosity, drooped lower than usual, though the difference was clearly unnoticeable to the professor. She leaned into his touch when he scratched her chin, but there was no pleased "chaaa".

"I've explained everything as best I can, so I'll give you some time to think. I wish you best of luck, and I will have the necessary materials ready should you choose the first option."

The pokemon professor was one of the nicest men he had ever met, but Ash couldn't help being angry at him for his parting words, even though he had intentionally avoided mentioning "thunderstone". He waved off his childish impulses in favor of petting Pikachu. For several minutes, silence reigned until he finally began the dreaded conversation. "What should we do?"

"Pi…" was the depressed reply, and Ash didn't know what to say. During the time before the pair's reunion, he had tried to figure out the best way to help his little buddy through this, but now words failed him. Even so, he knew the motions of his hands communicated everything to her. He petted her softly, attempting to comfort her in ways his speech couldn't.

His hands stopped as they ran over new scars where she would suffer temporary fur loss. "Let's go to my mom's house," he said at length. "She still doesn't know we're here."

No enthusiastic agreement, no energy at all. Pikachu merely hopped down from his lap when he stood and trotted alongside him. Normally when the pair visited the Ketchum home, Ash sprinted there eagerly with his faithful partner riding on his shoulder, but now it felt like walking to a funeral. "Pikachu," he began unsurely. "Do you want to…" He didn't finish. Having her ride on him was so typical that it felt strange to ask for it. But when she didn't even react to his sort-of question, his worry grew.

Unsurprisingly, his mom greeted him with a smothering hug when they arrived, and he returned the favor with as much cheer as he could. "Oh! Honey!" she exclaimed, staring at the various burn marks on his exposed skin when they pulled away from each other. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Pikachu's ears drooping. "Nothing, mom. Just adventuring! You know how it is!" He ended with an awkward laugh.

She seemed to accept this—after all, it wasn't strange for him to come home with new scars from his rather dangerous lifestyle—and for a while he managed to forget his troubles as he stuffed his face.

"So you're visiting Misty next week?"

"Yep!" he shouted around a mouthful of home-cooked food. "We're going to travel together again! It'll be great! Right, Pikachu?"

"I do worry about you traveling alone with a girl, even if it is Misty…"

"Mom!" he whined, his cheeks heating up. "It's nothing like that!" Besides, he thought, Misty would probably kill him if he tried anything.

"Okay, okay." She put her hands up in defense, though her smile remained. "It's just natural for a mother to worry."

The rest of the day passed without incident, and as Ash and Pikachu headed into his room, silence fell over them without his mom's presence. As usual, Pikachu hopped into bed with him, curling into a ball by his side. Ash had to say something. He hated silence, especially when he knew someone was upset. "This really sucks, huh?" He mentally kicked himself for not coming up with something better. Pikachu didn't even deem the question worthy of a reply, so he tried again. "Maybe taking medicine for the rest of your life wouldn't be so bad. You haven't accidentally shocked anything in a few hours, so you'd have your control back even if you couldn't get any stronger. But no matter what happens, you'll always be my best friend. If you decide to evolve, I'll lift weights until my shoulders are big enough for you to ride on them."

Pikachu had had enough. All the frustration from the last few weeks came to a head and she exploded on Ash. It wasn't fair! She didn't want to evolve, but if she didn't she would have to face the fact that she'd never be able to grow stronger or have an intense training session again. As she loosed her emotions, electricity leapt from her of its own accord and attacked Ash.

All that kept him from screaming was the realization that he somehow deserved this. Ash unfortunately couldn't understand her angry string of pika's and growls, and stared down guiltily, refusing to look at her. "Pikachu…I'm sorry."

She stopped raging and blinked, confused. Just like that, all her anger dissipated and she stopped discharging. "Chu?" Sorry for what?

"None of this would've happened if I hadn't made you work so hard. I'm so sorry." He paid no attention to his new wound as a tear slipped down his cheek.

"Pika!" She shook her head furiously, knowing she couldn't tell him with words that it wasn't his fault. Licking the tear away, she felt more falling from her eyes.

"Don't worry," he said resolutely, taking his turn to wipe the tears from her face. "We'll find a way around this. We didn't come this far by giving up when things got tough. I can't count how many times we've beaten back death, and we're going to beat this too. I swear it." No one who knew him would describe Ash as a thinker, and normally he wasn't. But years of battling and life-or-death situations had taught him to think quickly. "We…need to change your shape without evolving you…" When he put on his hat and unconsciously turned it backward, hope welled up inside Pikachu. He only did that when he needed to summon all his mental and physical strength, and when that happened things usually went well. "Lily!" he suddenly exclaimed. "She turned me into a Pikachu once. If she could change you into a Raichu just for a little while…maybe that would be enough to make all this go away. And if not, we can see Professor Elm while we're in Johto since he's the expert on evolution or whatever. I know it's a long shot, but—" Pikachu cut him off by jumping onto his chest and nuzzling his cheek. "Ah! Stop it!" he laughed. He tried tickling her to get her off, but she was having none of it. For giving her hope, he deserved all the affection she could give him.

"Let's go first thing tomorrow morning! We can—" Abruptly his eyes widened in horror. "Oh no! Misty! I…I told her I'd meet with her in a few days!" He made a promise that this journey would be about her, and now he was making her wait. So much for showing her how mature he'd become. "Er, you'll protect me from her when she finds out, right?"

Pikachu only smiled and laughed. Resigned to his fate, he sat at his computer and began typing an email to Misty. He had to be careful to explain things logically and thoroughly and to let her know how sorry he was. He decided to start the email with "Mist" instead of "Misty" since she always seemed more cheerful when he called her that. So far, so good…

* * *

Even though Ash wasn't supposed to show up again for a few days, Misty had already packed. Her old red backpack, mostly unused since she became a gym leader, seemed brighter than it used to be. It caught her eye whenever she was near it, and containing her excitement around her sisters had become stressful.

It was strange that even though this was supposed to be her journey, she was stuck waiting for him.

Holding an old photo of the two of them, Misty couldn't believe how much he'd changed. The last time she saw him before three days ago was during a brief visit to Hoenn back when he was traveling with May and Max, but then he came back into her life as suddenly as he had the first time they met, and just like that they were traveling partners again.

His visit was so sudden that it didn't seem real. Ash spoke to her, but she spent more time gawking at him than listening to him. Luckily for her, he was too dense to notice, and she took time to appreciate how much he had grown in his absence. He was still somewhat scrawny and a bit shorter than she, but his muscle tone was more defined from constant traveling and training, and he moved with a confidence that suggested he was stronger than he looked. She wondered how many times the various evil teams he mentioned in his stories had underestimated him (and subsequently had their asses kicked) due to his appearance.

"Pikachu hasn't been feeling well lately," he had said while scratching the yellow pokemon in her lap. "No one at any of the Pokemon Centers we've been to can figure out what's wrong, so I'm taking her to Professor Oak." He was like Pikachu in a way. She knew people let their guard down in battle due to how cute Pikachu was, and now she wondered if anyone let their guard down in battle due to how cute Ash was. "Uh, Mist?" She loved that nickname, especially when he used it. Meeting his gaze, she stared directly into his eyes. "Misty?"

"Oh! Sorry. I was just thinking about what could be wrong with Pikachu." He nodded as though expecting such a reason, and she marveled at him once more. He was mostly the same sweet boy she knew years ago, but she knew from her few minutes of talking with him that he was more committed to his dream and his pokemon than ever. "So what are you going to do after that?"

"Well, now that Brock's left, I think I'm going on a solo journey. Instead of hitting the next league, Pikachu and I are going to train for a while so that when we start collecting badges again, we'll blow right through the competition!" Even in her poor condition, Pikachu let out an enthusiastic "pika" in agreement, and Misty smiled. "What about you?"

"I'm going on a journey of my own. Being gym leader has helped me on my quest to become a water pokemon master, but if I want to become truly skilled, I have to battle more than just beginning trainers. Starting next week, I'm taking the Kanto gym challenge and competing in the Indigo League."

"Cool! Hey, since you're traveling too, maybe we can do it together!"

The thousand nights of worrying that he had forgotten her were worth it just to hear how excited he was at the prospect of being with her again. She hoped her frown told him how much it pained her to turn him down. "I'm sorry, Ash, but this is something I have to do alone. I missed you when I had to come back here, but I think it was for the best. Last time we traveled together, everything was about you. We went where you wanted and when you wanted, and because of that I didn't work as hard as I should have. From now on, I'm going to work for my dream as hard as you work for yours."

Unsurprisingly, he just stared at her. He probably hadn't known she felt that way. He recovered more quickly than she expected, though. "I won't hold you back this time, I promise! Since I won't be collecting badges for a while, we can go at your pace. Pikachu and I can train anywhere in any condition." To help her trainer's cause, Pikachu nuzzled Misty's hand. "What do you say? We'll meet back up with you before you leave."

For what seemed like the first time since his arrival, she turned away to look at something other than Ash. Though it had already happened several times in the past hour, her heart rate rose. Did he really just say that? Did he know he had that effect on her when he acted sweet?

Misty had of course agreed, and ever since he left she wondered if perhaps he had grown in ways she hadn't noticed during their brief encounter. Ash Ketchum was definitely still impetuous, impatient, and childish, but there seemed to be something more now. While she wouldn't go so far as to call him mature, everything about his visit suggested a slightly less obtuse, more considerate, and even more driven young man. Three years ago he wouldn't have held her goals on equal footing with his, so strong was his unrelenting, almost mindless desire to become the Pokemon Master, but what he said to her had been so caring, even if he said it in that clumsy Ash-y fashion. And she was sure she caught him staring at her once or twice. Maybe he…

She brushed the thought aside. An Ash who liked girls was as unlikely as a Brock who didn't. Maybe Ash really had just matured. He'd made her a promise that he would put her needs above his own. Just the thought made her happier than she'd been in a long time.

In high spirits, she opened her email to see if the traveling clothes she ordered online had shipped and saw a message from the familiar dorky handle, "Gotta-Ketchum-all".

"Hey Mist,

Pikachu is still really sick. She won't even eat my mom's cooking, and my mom's cooking is great! Professor Oak suggested I evolve her but that doesn't make sense, so instead I'm taking her to that magician who turned me into a Pikachu. We'll meet up with you as soon as we can. Sorry!"

It took a moment for the message to sink into her mind. Not only was he breaking his promise, but he was taking his pokemon to a magician of all people instead of a doctor. Even through her worry for Pikachu, she felt that special anger that only Ash could cause.

Of course he hadn't matured. This wasn't her journey; she had to wait until _he_ was ready. "Ash Ketchum!" she snarled. The offending monitor cowered. "You've toyed with the wrong woman's heart! I'm going to follow you until you make it up to me!"

Luckily her bag was already packed. It didn't matter that it was late, that she was still technically gym leader for one more day, or that she hadn't told anyone she was leaving. Ash Ketchum was going to pay.


	3. Everyone Secretly Wants Brock

_Blizzaga Saga_: Oh my gosh, an update! Sorry to leave people hanging.

Brock was always really funny to me. I thought he was sweet, even if he was a bit of a perv. People say he's never succeeded in getting a girl, but Misty or someone else always stops him before he can get an answer! He'd be getting a lot more action if Croagunk and Misty and whoever else just let nature take its course, amirite?

Chapter 3: Everyone Secretly Wants Brock

Ash: "I'm Tom Ato."

Misty: "I'm Ann…Chovie."

Brock: "And my name is Caesar Salad!"

"No. Traveling will only make Pikachu's condition worse."

Ash's head itched under his hat, and the burns beneath his new bandages stung as if to propel him into action. He was ready to take his Pokémon to Johto as fast as he could if only Professor Oak would allow her to leave already, but after half an hour of arguing he had to admit that his elder had a point. He reached for the unused, seemingly ancient ball on his belt, the symbol of a sacred unspoken agreement between him and his best friend, and closed his eyes in regret. "She's going to hate me for this…but I'll have to put her in a Poké Ball."

"That won't work." Ash's eyes snapped open in alarm. "Pikachu's unstable electric state could make any Poké Ball she's inside malfunction. It could be catastrophic, even fatal for her. Her health has been pushed too far already. Ash, for your Pokémon's sake, you must evolve her."

He shook his head in frustration, out of ideas but refusing to yield. "I can't! Pikachu has a dream just like I do: she wants to be the strongest Pikachu there is, and she can't do that if she evolves."

The professor sighed heavily, suddenly looking older. Ash knew he tended to exasperate people with his stubbornness, but it was difficult to feel sorry at the moment. "If you took her anywhere, you wouldn't be able to travel in a vehicle or with other people because of her constant need to release excess electricity."

"I'll be fine traveling alone," he replied quickly. "I'm used to her jolts."

"You're already injured," Professor Oak pointed out with remarkable patience. "And you may be used to playful shocks, but she can't control her power. Paralysis is not just a Pokémon condition; it can happen to humans too. And while we are capable of treating afflicted Pokémon due to their remarkable physiology, there is little anyone could for you if electricity damaged your nerves."

"That doesn't matter."

"It most certainly does!" Oak shouted for the first time Ash could remember, and for a moment Ash realized that this predicament went beyond just him and Pikachu. "Your mother would kill me if something happened to you. Having said that, though…" Pulling a bright yellow stone out of his lab coat pocket, he tossed it to the confused fifteen-year-old. "I understand that you need to do this. If Pikachu becomes a threat to your life or her own, however, you must promise me that you'll use this thunderstone."

Ash blinked and then smiled brightly, regretting everything bad he'd thought about him over the past day. He took a deep calming breath, glad he wouldn't have to fight anymore over this. "Thanks, professor."

Oak, however, did not look any less severe. "I'm serious. I want you to promise me."

"I promise," he said without giving it much thought. "Now can I _please_ go?"

"Not yet. Mr. Ketchum, I presume?" a young woman called from the doorway.

Oak silently excused himself as though he'd known this would happen, and Ash looked at her in confusion. "Yes?" The professor had few assistants, and Ash found it odd that there would be one he didn't know despite his frequent travels. Only a few years older than he, she shook her head, letting long blonde hair cascade around her bare shoulders. She certainly wore less than any lab assistant he had seen.

"I need you to answer a few questions before you go. But first, I believe someone is here to see you."

"Pikapi!"

Everything else faded from his mind as the electric mouse crawled through the doorway and made a surprisingly strong leap into her trainer's arms, uncaring of how dirty they were. Suddenly Ash had his energy again. "Pikachu!" he cried in relief and laughed, hugging her as though he hadn't known she was still alive. She certainly didn't mind the attention as she dug her little paws into his shirt to return the embrace.

"I have an idea of what may be happening to your Pikachu," the woman interrupted, and Ash and Pikachu both stared blankly at her, wondering what she meant. She had an _idea_? Hadn't Professor Oak already told them what the problem was? Didn't they know? "I've spoken with Professor Oak about you and your Pikachu. You have had many female traveling partners in the past, haven't you?"

"Yes," he answered, not understanding the relevance.

"And were you close with them?" When he nodded, she asked, "Did you ever get _really_ close?"

"Yes, I got really close, we were like best friends! How is this going to help Pikachu?"

"Ash, I'll ask you bluntly, and I want you to be honest. How many girlfriends have you had?"

Ash scowled and Pikachu growled, not in the mood to procrastinate while she was still in pain. She had half a mind to release her excess voltage on this troublesome woman. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question, please."

"Well, I…" He fumbled for an excuse; though there was no humor or malice in her expression, her unflinching stare intimidated him for reasons he didn't entirely understand. "A girl from the Orange Islands kissed me once a few years ago," he offered.

"A single kiss doesn't count. I'm talking about real, healthy relationships that you've reciprocated."

"Well, you know, it's hard to say exactly, and…" Her gaze did not waver. "…Zero," he admitted at last.

A pen clicked, and she scribbled something down on a clipboard while casually saying, "That's what I thought."

"Hey!"

"I mean no offense. I'm just saying it explains Pikachu's situation."

"What does my love life have to do with Pikachu's health?"

"Don't misunderstand. Her refusal to evolve is the problem, but there is another complication: Pikachu is in heat. When that happens to Pokémon, they are in severe pain until they mate. So in addition to the pain she's suffering from not evolving, she's also in pain from that."

"She's never had problems like that before."

"She's also never been old enough to be in heat until now. She was surely too young when you first met. Right now, in Pikachu years she's around your age, which brings me to how your "love life" plays into all this." Ash listened carefully, ready to bolt with Pikachu in his arms if he didn't like what she said next. "Pokémon tend to assume some of their trainer's characteristics as their bond grows stronger. Normally a Pikachu knows instinctively when she's in heat, but yours seems to have picked up your ignorance in regards to sexual situations. She is confused and doesn't seem to realize what is happening."

Pikachu twisted her aching body to direct a glare at the woman who dared suggest she wasn't aware of her situation. She was painfully aware of every stray current in her body, and more than that, she was certainly aware of how pissed she was at the moment. And what did sex have to do with anything?

"Okay…" Ash said. He wasn't _that_ dumb. But Pikachu was more important, so he tried not to show his anger.

"I understand that you have never met your father. Sometimes that can lead to sexual repression in children."

"I don't even know what that means!"

"It means that Pikachu may not be the only one who needs therapy," she said pointedly.

Ash blinked, not at all understanding what she meant. His attention was once more drawn to her somewhat revealing attire. "Are you…coming on to me?"

She grinned for the first time. "No, Ash. I'm saying it would do you good to try and start a relationship with someone in the near future. Sexual repression is not good for a growing adolescent, and it could have long-lasting repercussions if it goes untreated."

"But I'm not sick."

"No, and that's the problem. Teenage boys should be at least a _little_ sick. As for what to do with Pikachu, you should take her to a breeding or daycare center to ease her heat pains. They are specifically equipped to deal with that." With that, she walked away, not bothering to ask if he had heard her clearly. "He's all yours," he heard her say on the other side of the door, and then yet another person walked in.

"Brock!" he exclaimed in shock, but the older boy didn't seem to be paying attention to him.

"Isn't she the best?" Brock asked, cheeks reddening slightly, and after a moment of drooling he seemed to remember where he was and composed himself. "Sorry you had to put up with that, buddy, but it had to be a beautiful woman. It wouldn't have worked had I been the one asking the questions."

Ash scrutinized him; he looked mostly the same as he had when they last saw each other, and he still fawned over pretty girls in the same way, but his presence still made no sense. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

"Professor Oak called me last night to let me know about Pikachu, and from the symptoms he described I knew there were more problems than he knew of, so I brought one of my coworkers to Pallet to examine her."

"You…flew in just to help?"

"Of course. I was worried about you two, and from what I've seen, I was right to be." As if on cue, Ash's partner whimpered quietly in his arms. He could only imagine how much her body hurt if she couldn't bring herself to greet Brock. "Sorry Kate probed you like that. She's a psychologist as well as a breeder, and she tends to be pretty blunt in her interrogations. But that's just a front she puts up to hide her shyness and her affections from me! One day I will win her heart!" He shook himself before he could slip too far back into la-la land. "Oh, um, Ash, there's another really important reason I need to talk to you. Misty called me. She told me what you planned on doing, so I thought I'd warn you that she's coming after you."

Ash paled, having immediately forgotten about her after sending the email last night. She apparently hadn't forgotten, however. If she was mad enough to chase him into Johto, he could only imagine what she was going to do to him when she caught up. Somewhere in the back of his innocent mind he wondered why she was going out of her way to bother with him when she had her own Pokémon journey across Kanto to worry about, but the rest of him was consumed by fear of death. "I have to leave. Now."

"Hold on. There's more we need to talk about. I really am worried about what Kate said, and I know Mrs. Ketchum is too. She's worried about you not growing up the way you should, and I think a romantic relationship would be good for you. And between you and me, I think Misty would benefit from a relationship too," he said suggestively while nudging the younger boy.

Ash had no idea what that meant, and he was fed up with people trying to stop him. "Yeah, I think a romantic relationship would be good for you too," he sniped, and Brock's shoulders and head slumped comically. Ash instantly felt bad for insulting the brother he never had. "Sorry," he mumbled awkwardly.

He perked up easily enough. "It's okay. But my point is that I brought Kate here and had her dress like that for a reason. I wanted to see how you would react, but you didn't react, and she's the most beautiful woman in the world!"

"People don't drool over every girl they see. Sure, she was wearing less than I expected…"

Brock facepalmed. "Ash, she was wearing lingerie."

"Whatever," he retorted moodily. "I'll worry about whatever issues you think I have after I've made sure Pikachu is all right."

"You're going to see Lily, the Pokémon magician, right? Finding her won't be easy. She has grown quite famous recently. Professors and trainers from all over the world have come to Johto to see some great potion she made. Supposedly, it allows Pokémon and people alike to take any shape they want. It was an instant hit at her shows, but soon people started threatening her for it. Harassment grew into such a problem that she went into hiding. Plus, I hear she has a really powerful trainer guarding her, so even if you find her, you might not be able to get help from her."

"I have to try."

"I know. That's why I drew up a map of where we last saw her. That's as good a place to start as any."

"Thanks, Brock. For everything."

He nodded. "Good luck. I need to get back to work. Call me after you solve Pikachu's electrical problems, and we'll talk about what to do about her heat pains if they haven't gone away by then."

With Brock gone, Ash looked down at his best friend, who seemed to have fallen asleep in his arms during the conversation. She looked peaceful, but he knew that was only because of heavy medication.

"You know, Pikachu…" he began somberly. "People tell me sometimes that I'm an idiot, but I've never felt like one until now. Professor Oak and Brock know so much. They know things that I should know as a trainer, but I don't. Brock knew just from a phone conversation what was wrong with you, and I had no clue. Even after all we've done, I still have so much to learn and see." He grinned half-heartedly. "But that makes me want to travel even more. I want to see all that the world has to offer, and I know you do too. Our next journey will be a special one, one where we train _and_ learn. I…don't know how we'll do that exactly, but I'll make sure nothing like this happens again. You won't get hurt because of my stupidity anymore."

How long did he have before the medicine wore off and she lost control again? Hours? Minutes? He didn't care about the answer as he held her gently to his chest and started walking.

Something else bothered him though. "How did Brock convince her to wear lingerie?"


	4. Ash Will Never Become a Master :(

_Blizzaga Saga_: Oh hey, an update! It's only been...uh...over a year...I took my first-round defeat at last year's national Black/White tournament pretty hard, lol.

Chapter 4: The Writers Will Never Let Ash Become a Master

"Ash is getting too skilled...we need to keep the series going indefinitely, so let's bring in some mystery trainer with a Darkrai and a Latios to keep him from winning the tournament. Then next season he can forget everything he's ever learned." What were the writers trying to teach kids with this episode? That they should use only legendaries if they want to win? I hate everything.

Ash rarely sat still unless food was involved, but at the moment he could hardly move. New burns lined his arms beneath new rips in his clothing, and he carefully avoided rubbing them against anything. The other passengers sat away from him due to the smell of singed flesh and hair, but he focused his depleted energy into willing Pikachu not to discharge again. Professor Oak was usually right, and Ash hoped he would not regret ignoring the man's advice to avoid public transportation.

"Kachuuuuuu!"

Pikachu had always been a bit rebellious, unfortunately, even though this time it was unintentional. The bus screeched to a halt as windows shattered and people screamed from the electrical blast. Having held Pikachu in his lap, Ash convulsed as he took the brunt of the discharge, and when it ended he sat in a daze, mouth open and eyes rolling comically.

Before he could recover, the driver threw him off the bus by his collar. The teenage trainer landed hard in the dirt on a particularly nasty burn and hissed.

"Put that thing in a Poké Ball!" the driver shouted before the vehicle sped off.

Ash didn't even care that he had been manhandled. Pikachu was whimpering on the ground beside him, and this was where he had intended to get off the bus anyway. Seeing his torment, Pikachu licked his cheek in apology. She'd been doing that a lot lately. He made to stand up, only for her eyes to close in pain once more.

"Chuuuuu!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. Taking the electrical attack, he fell onto his stomach again and this time was not able to get up immediately. "Pikapi?"

"I'm okay, buddy," he assured her, though his throat felt like ashes.

She shook her head from side to side rapidly, long ears folded down and tears flying from her fur with the motion. Ash didn't know whether they were from pain or worry, but he quickly disregarded the matter when she began rummaging through his backpack.

"Pikachu, no!" Using all his arm strength, he shoved her aside and took the thunderstone she had been trying to find. He closed it between his hands and curled into a fetal position to keep her from touching it. "I won't let you give up yet!"

"Pi pi Pikapi!" she yelled back. Didn't he care about how much she was hurting him? Being the strongest Pikachu in the world meant nothing to her if he was dead. What if she inflicted permanent damage on him the next time she couldn't control herself?

Ash seemed to understand what she was saying, but the determination in his gaze did not waver. Summoning all of his courage, he stood on legs that felt like jelly and pocketed the evolution stone. "I'm not giving up, and you shouldn't either. I know it hurts, but wait until after we find Lily before you make that decision! She might still make this right."

Having studied the map Brock gave him, Ash knew that the forest before them connected Route 29 to Blackthorn City, and cradling his partner against his chest once more, he rushed into the thicket. Before long she started letting out high-pitched whines more pained than any he'd heard in any battle, and he racked his mind for something to distract her from her agony.

"Hey Pikachu, how about a little sympathy? I'm the one in danger of dying, since Misty's coming after me." Pikachu gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Come on, buddy, you're the only girl around right now. I need your sage advice." She gave up glaring and laughed. He too smiled, happy that for the briefest of moments she could forget her situation, but the next moment she moaned again and he picked up his pace.

Ash couldn't remember ever being this tired, but Pikachu's whimpers were more than enough motivation to keep him going for the next hour until a voice called out.

"Halt! What are you doing here?"

In the center of a clearing stood a young man with a cloak and a witch's hat. Ash couldn't remember since it had been so long since he'd seen her, but he thought it resembled Lily's outfit.

"I'm looking for someone," he answered.

"I know you...Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, correct?"

Ash held Pikachu protectively. "Have we met?"

"I recognize you from the televised league conferences. What's a famous person like you doing all the way out here?"

"My Pikachu is very sick. I'm looking for someone who can help her."

"You should have gone to a Pokémon center. They're equipped to handle this kind of thing."

Ash gritted his teeth, not liking this trainer's feigned ignorance. "I'm looking for my friend Lily. I take it you're the trainer guarding her."

"If that's who you're after, you should leave. You don't stand a chance against my partner. Raikou, come out!"

He threw a Poké Ball, and Ash wondered who would nickname a Pokémon after a legendary, only to come face to face with an actual Raikou. "Whoa!" he shouted, and Pikachu's eyes widened. The legendary dog towered over everyone as it glared at them. It was almost too big for the clearing, and the trainer smirked.

"You'd have to be a fool to challenge a legendary Pokémon. Leave now."

Ash and Pikachu locked eyes. He saw the same determination in hers that showed in his own. Wordlessly he asked her, and a weak but angry "Pi" answered.

"Sorry, but this is the only way to help my friend. Withdraw your Pokemon. Pikachu's illness has overloaded her with electricity that would overwhelm Raikou if she released it."

"Chaaaa!" With a cry of pain, Pikachu inadvertently did just that. For a single moment, Ash seriously feared the consequences of engaging a legendary in combat, but the tall beast fell to the ground, shrinking and changing form until it resembled a Raichu.

"An illusion?" he asked, shocked. "You're a Pokémon magician like Lily?"

He smirked. "Of course. It doesn't matter, though. Raichu is more than strong enough to defeat your unevolved Pokémon. And even if he wasn't, I'm an expert strategist. I've studied your techniques in the Pokémon league and have a counter for each of them."

Despite his words, the Raichu seemed to have trouble getting up. Ash and Pikachu shared a smirk, already knowing how this would play out.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!"

Pikachu obeyed, but she quickly gave him reason to remember she still didn't have full control over her power. The electricity which leapt off of her body attacked the Raichu, but it attacked Ash and the other trainer as well. All four fell to the ground, and the trainer withdrew Raichu in disbelief.

"B-but how? I've seen your matches. You always have to use strategy to make up for Pikachu's small size!"

"Strategy or strength alone isn't enough. You need both. No matter how brilliant you think you are, Pikachu is in much better shape than your Raichu."

Even while lying on her side, her cheeks sparked as though to say not to toy with her, and Ash smiled confidently. Brock's friend Kate didn't know what she was talking about. He and Pikachu were growing just fine, and they were even becoming better at battling. He didn't need to worry about father issues or dating, even if he was looking forward to travelling with Misty again. Even if she did look really pretty last time he saw her.

"Now do you see how sick my Pikachu is? Even with all that power, she can barely stand. Please take us to Lily!"

"Oh...very well. I can see that you don't want my magic for evil purposes." To his great surprise, the trainer changed just as "Raikou" had. His hair brightened into a pink-mahogany color, and he became more feminine-looking while retaining the same clothes. "I'm sorry for deceiving you with that silly disguise, but people have been chasing me for my potion, and I've found that nothing scares villains away more quickly than an unnecessary display of power." She winked. "The truth is, I'm not a very good trainer. I'm Lily, Pokémon magician! It's nice to meet you!"

"Um...we've met before. You accidentally turned me into a Pikachu," he explained awkwardly. Of course she wouldn't remember him. It had been years.

"I've done a great deal of magic. You'll have to be more specific."

Nonplussed, Ash wondered how many spells she had screwed up that she couldn't remember turning someone into a Pikachu, but he quickly decided it wasn't important. "Pikachu has reached a power level that's too great for her small body, but she doesn't want to evolve. She's losing control every day. Please, can you cast a spell that will turn her into a Raichu, just long enough for her to get well? I heard you recently made something that can transform Pokemon."

"My new potion causes a permanent transformation. I should be able to use a spell to transform her for a few days, though. At least, I think..."

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other doubtfully, but Pikachu managed a weak nod, desperate to relieve her pain. "Please do it, then," he said strongly.

"All right. Follow me to my cauldron. Can you stand?"

Pikachu, like him, was completely exhausted, and to his relief her fatigue seemed to have dulled her pain for the moment. He couldn't believe how strong she had gotten to release such an attack. He was so proud of her. "Hey, I've been thinking," he whispered to her so Lily wouldn't hear.

"Chaaaa." She rolled her eyes.

"Very funny. What should we do on our journey with Misty? I told you I want to learn and grow more on this quest. The professor and Brock and now Lily have shown me that there's still so much to do. I need to do something different, something I've never done before." He gulped. "If...if I ask Misty on a date, do you think she'll want to kill me more than she already does?"

Ash was never sure where he stood with the redheaded gym leader. He knew she considered him a good friend, but sometimes she got so angry with him over the most innocent mistakes. He abruptly wondered if he should ask Brock for advice before dismissing that thought.

He was doing this because he wanted to, not because Brock and his mother were worried about him being "sexually repressed" or whatever. That weird psychologist was wrong. So what if he had never thought about Dawn, or May, or any other girl he'd met over the years in a romantic way? It just...took him a while to take an interest in women. After all, there were a lot of interesting things in the world.

Pikachu could not help the jealousy that welled up inside her. Here she was, lying injured in Ash's arms, and he was thinking about someone else. Nevertheless, she knew the subject of Misty had been making her normally self-assured trainer nervous for months, so she gave an encouraging "Pika!"

He smiled, and she smiled too at his renewed confidence. "I'm going to do it! I'm going to ask Misty!" he shouted triumphantly, forgetting he had been whispering before. Lily looked at him oddly, and he blushed. "Eh heh...sorry."

"Well, here we are." At a humble little camp, Lily scooped a cup into a cauldron suspended over a lit fire. "Drink this, Pikachu. It should make the transformation easier. Ash, put her down and step back." He obeyed quickly, eager for his best friend's pain to finally go away. "Hocus Pokémon!" she proclaimed, pointing a wand at the spell's target.

Mesmerized, Ash watched as his partner's body began shimmering until it was more a light show than a solid mass. Her form glowed and grew larger.

"It's...it's working!" The moment he said that, she suddenly flew into the air and hovered high above the ground. "Pikachu! What's happening to her?"

"I-I don't know!" Lily yelled in a panic, flipping through a large spell book. Apparently she was still an amateur. "I'm sure I did it right..."

The glow disappeared. Ash ran forward, already knowing what would happen and hoping to catch her before she fell. He succeeded, but due to her now larger size, she brought him crashing to the ground when she fell into his arms. On his back beneath his Pokémon, he looked into her eyes, only inches from his own, and cheered.

"It worked! We did it!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered and hugged him. Thrilled, Ash hugged her back, marveling at how strange it was for her arms to be long enough to embrace him. Ash was still hurt, but he no longer felt the pain as much now that he knew Pikachu was better.

Turning to the side, he faced Lily, whose face had turned pink for some reason. "Thank you so much! I'll never forget this!" Laughing happily, he pulled Pikachu to him more tightly, wondering why the fur on top of her head was suddenly so long and why she no longer had fur on her face. Only warm flesh on her back touched his hands as well, but he was too relieved to care. So what if she was a bald Raichu? She was feeling better!

Pikachu almost cried at how thankful she was for the trainer lying beneath her. She had almost chosen to evolve, but thanks to him, things were going to be all right. "Pikapi," she whispered affectionately, nuzzling his cheek. Was it just her, or did he smell better than usual? A burning in her core she had not been aware of before demanded she press herself more tightly against his body, and when she licked his cheek, she felt like she should be doing more.

"Ha ha, cut it out, Pikachu!" Finally, it was over. He still had to worry about her being "in heat" or whatever Kate called it, but at least her growing pains were gone.

"Ash Ketchum!" a voice screamed, and Ash froze. How did she manage to find him in this random part of an unbeaten path?

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu greeted the newcomer enthusiastically, though she didn't remove herself from the task of licking her cute trainer's face. She wanted...she wasn't sure what she wanted exactly, but when she rubbed her sex against Ash's leg, it felt really good.

"H-hi, Misty," Ash greeted kindly, knowing it would do nothing to neutralize her anger. He had broken his promise to her by holding up her journey, and now he had to pay for it.

To his surprise, she stared down at them with...horror, almost, trembling with one eye twitching. But the familiar anger rapidly took its place as she shouted, "What are you doing with that girl?!"

Ash decided that Kate hadn't been completely wrong about everything. She apparently knew what she was talking about when she said trainers and their Pokémon start to think and act alike after a while, because when Ash looked from side to side for the source of his friend's distress, Pikachu mirrored his actions.

"What girl?"

"Pika?"


	5. There IS Sexual Tension in Pokémon

_Blizzaga Saga_: Maybe I'm alone on this, but I've always thought Ash would react differently to a naked girl being on top of him if said girl was also his Pokémon. I guess the only way to find out is for it to happen in the anime! :D

Chapter 5: There IS Sexual Tension in Pokémon

And innuendo too! Brock polishes his rock Pokémon. He _polishes_ his _rocks_. Come on.

Ash was an idiot.

Misty had accepted this years ago, but somehow it still irritated her. He acted like he honestly didn't notice the naked girl humping his leg and licking his cheek. Not that he had ever excelled at noticing women's affection, she thought angrily.

"Get off of him!" she yelled, and the girl looked away from the one beneath her to stare at Misty in confusion. "Where are your clothes? Why are you only wearing Pikachu ears?"

"Kachu?" the slim blonde asked, tilting her head in innocent confusion, and Misty's face grew redder than her hair at the obvious stalling attempt.

Beside them, the young woman in a witch's hat who had been silent until now spoke. "Um, actually, that is a Pikachu. Or it was." Pink dusted her cheeks, and Misty suspected that she only flipped through the book in her hands to distract her from the vulgar scene. "I did everything just like the instructions said..."

"What instructions?" Having scared Ash into silence, Misty forced her enraged mind to catch up. "Are you the magician Ash mentioned?"

Seeing her focus on someone other than him, Ash became slightly less terrified. "Don't worry, Pikachu's fine. She's only taking this form for a few days."

"This is _Pikachu_?"

Seeing that Ash was no longer paying attention to her, Pikachu reluctantly rolled off of him and stood to greet Misty, granting the gym leader a full view of her nude form. Short blonde hair framed a cute face adorned with a small nose and little red circles on her cheeks like she'd had as a Pokémon. The strong legs, wide hips, and slender upper body which she earned through constant fighting and traveling had stayed with her through the transformation.

Misty averted her eyes before she could notice more details. "Ash, whether this is Pikachu or not, she needs clothes."

She expected to have to glare at him for ogling the girl now that her state of undress had finally sunk in, but he merely blinked and agreed.

"Oh. Right. Here you go, buddy."

Without ceremony he stood and placed his jacket around the blonde's shoulders, and Misty mentally huffed. What did a girl have to do to get his attention?

"Pi..." Pikachu said gratefully, hugging it against herself. It smelled just like him.

Ash's spare jeans hung loosely off her waist, but at least now she was covered. "What is going on?" Misty demanded, abruptly remembering why she had traveled to Johto. Ash winced, having hoped their concern for their mutual friend had distracted her. "Did you throw away our travel plans just to turn her into a human?"

"Not at all!" He willed his voice not to crack. "We wanted to turn her into a Raichu."

Misty wanted to scream. "Why didn't you take her to a doctor?"

Ash knew that now was not a good time for his trademark cluelessness—it never was with Misty around—but he couldn't help it. "Didn't I explain that in the email I sent you? Did I forget to mention that Pikachu wouldn't eat my mom's food?"

Her face contorted, and fright quickly replaced his confusion. With her fists clenched by her side, she stepped forward menacingly. He stepped back, flinching from the many burns beneath his tattered outfit. He had no chance of escaping in his condition.

"Come here, Ash…" she entreated with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Don't be a coward."

"I-I'm not a coward," he said despite his attempted retreat, and he was right. If he had to die now, then he wanted it to be without regrets. Well, he couldn't magically become a Pokémon master in the next five seconds, but he could do something else he'd been putting off.

"Misty, I know you're about to kill me..."

Her smile dripped venom and sarcasm. "Very observant."

"But before you do…will you go out with me?"

He spoke the last part so quickly that she almost didn't hear him. Misty halted her advance, paralyzed. "What?"

"W-will you go out with me?"

Misty stood speechless. She never thought this would happen, certainly not at such a random moment. He had obviously been working up the nerve to ask her for some time. Had he noticed her after all?

Ash dared to peek between his gloved hands as he covered his face. To his surprise, Misty no longer looked angry. She had that rare and pretty affection in her eyes that made her orange hair look softer, and hope welled up inside him.

Pikachu laid a hand on Misty's arm, breaking the spell. "Pi Pikachu, Pikachupi." Her next sentence took considerably more effort, as though she were speaking her first words. "Don't...kill Pikapi. He's…hurt."

Misty was about to point out how remarkable it was that Pikachu could speak their language when she realized the Pokémon was right. "Oh no! Ash, what happened?"

"And I thought _I_ was the dense one," he answered cheekily.

Misty did not find it funny. Cuts split his sleeves and his skin, and he looked ready to collapse. She almost wished he would whine about it, just to let her know he was all right. "We have to get you to a Pokémon center."

"The one in Blackthorn is closest," offered the magician, having stopped reading as soon as everyone around her had clothes. The blush had not left her face. "I suggest resting there until Pikachu's spell wears off. I'll be here protecting my magic potion, so you should stay nearby in case anything happens that I can help with."

Having already witnessed the novice witch mess up two transformations, Ash and Pikachu looked at each other doubtfully but thanked her, and the trio trudged off.

Despite Ash's fatigue, Pikachu could not outpace him. "You okay?" he asked as she took clumsy steps on new legs.

Even though she was shorter than Ash and Misty, her legs felt so long to her. How did humans walk in these tall, awkward bodies? Turning to Ash, she half-fell and half-jumped, landing on his back as she had done so many times before.

Ash stumbled beneath her unfamiliar weight, and Misty ran to him, hoping to catch them if they fell. "Ah! What are you doing?"

"Carry me!" she commanded jokingly, circling her arms around him.

"But I'm hurt!" Thankfully he righted himself, and Misty took back her wish for him to complain.

"Didn't you say that you'll always carry me, no matter what form I take?"

Sighing in defeat, Ash held her legs to his sides, and she squeezed him with her thighs for balance.

Misty frowned. "Are you sure you should be carrying her? Don't you have another Pokémon who can do it while you rest?"

"Professor Oak told me her electricity might make Poké Balls malfunction, so it's too dangerous to bring my other Pokémon with me."

"You can borrow one of mine."

"Thanks, but Pikachu's right. I promised. I'm sorry you're stuck like this for a few days, Pikachu, but I'm so glad you're not in pain anymore."

"Thanks to you," Pikachu praised, rubbing the red part of her cheek against his. She'd never forget how much he'd suffered, how close he'd come to dying or becoming paralyzed for her, how he wouldn't let her give up on her dream by taking the easy way out and evolving. "I can't wait to start training again!"

"Me neither!" he shouted, no longer tired for a brief moment, and Misty shook her head. Despite the years and Pikachu's new form, the raven-haired trainer and his Pokémon hadn't changed a bit. Not that she really wanted them to.

The newly human rested her head in Ash hair. "Pikapi smells good..."

He chuckled. "All I can smell is burnt clothes."

That wasn't what she meant. She smelled his ruined outfit, the dirt from his recent falls, and wonderful, but she could only focus on the wonderful.

Misty was content watching the pair, but Ash grew more insecure the longer they went without talking. She still hadn't given him an answer. Was she avoiding his question?

"S-so what have you been up to?"

Misty smirked. "You mean other than chasing you down?"

"Heh. Oh yeah. How did you find me?"

"I just followed the lightning." Her smirk fell. "Is that what injured you?"

"Sorry, Pikapi," Pikachu answered for him, licking his cheek for the umpteenth time in the last few days. Not wanting to discourage their recent closeness, Ash smiled.

"By the way, Ash…" Misty began, sounding unusually shy. "I'd love you go out with you."

"You…you would? Really?" She nodded with a blush, and he jumped for joy, Pikachu still on his back. "YES!"

"Congratulations!" said Pikachu, hugging him more tightly. She was happy for him and Misty, but she was a bit distracted. Had he always smelled like this?

Eventually, Pikachu took pity on him and walked on her own, finding it much more difficult than speaking Ash's language. Inside the Pokémon center, they passed several young men and women, but strangely none of them smelled as enticing as he did. She hovered by his side in case she fell while Misty went to the service desk to get a room for the night, grinning when he put an arm around her.

"Let's call Brock," Ash said as he pressed buttons on the free-to-use video phone. "He'll know what to do next."

Brock's squinty eyes actually opened when Ash appeared on his screen with his arm around a pretty young blonde. "Ash, who's this? Did you...did you get a _girlfriend_?"

"Girlfriend?" Pikachu repeated, unfamiliar with the word since her trainer never used it.

Brock was too excited to notice her confusion. "You took my advice! This is incredible! Mrs. Ketchum will be so happy!"

Ash fidgeted, but did not release his Pokémon. The similarities in appearance and personality between Pikachu's two forms were so obvious to him that he wondered how Misty and Brock hadn't deduced her identity at first sight. And they called _him_ slow...

"Uh...it's not like that. Don't you recognize her?"

"Then why is she leaning on you like that?" he asked knowingly. "Ha! Misty once asked me if I thought anything short of dressing like a Pikachu would get you to notice her. I guess I know the answer now!"

Having heard the conversation, Misty raced across the room in the middle of her conversation with Nurse Joy and pressed her hands over Ash's ears. "Ha ha, you're such a kidder, Brock! I never said anything like that," she said with closed eyes and a forced laugh despite Ash's inability to hear through her hands.

Burns stinging his face beneath her hands, Ash angrily jerked out of her gasp, and Misty glared at Brock. The older boy only smirked at her, though, and Misty seethed. If he thought he was safe from her wrath on the other side of the monitor, he would soon learn otherwise.

"I'm holding her because this is how I've always held her. This is Pikachu. Lily accidentally turned her human, but it shouldn't last for more than a few days."

In the silence that followed, Brock's expression reverted to it's normal squinty cheerful one, and he laughed. "I'm not even going to ask."

"You believe us?" Misty gawked.

"Stranger things have happened to Ash and Pikachu. I'm not going to start questioning it now. Ash, if she's stuck like that, you should wait until she turns back into a Pikachu before you worry about her heat pains. Pikachu, the next few days will be painful for you, but if you can get through it, I've called the Pokémon daycare south of Goldenrod and they'll be ready to take care of you the moment you're back to your yellow self."

"Thanks, Brock," she chirped, confused. Ash asked the question that was on her mind.

"Why would she still be in heat? I thought a transformation was supposed to make all the problems go away."

"Even though she looks human, I think she still has many of the characteristics of a Pikachu. The small red circles on her cheeks tell me she has stored electricity, so she might still be in heat. Pikachu, have you been feeling unusually alert but tired lately?"

Pikachu looked around. She heard and saw everything, but her gaze stopped at Ash. "Everything smells...wonderful."

The breeder nodded. "Your body is priming itself for mating. This happens in regular cycles for many Pokémon and is completely normal. Mating is an intense activity: heart rate spikes, pupils dilate, and the body produces excess hormones, so you'll feel stressed and restless until your cycle is over."

"Since when do you know anything about mating?" Misty snipped, still upset over her secret being spilled. An angry voice on his side of the video phone interrupted Brock's retort.

"Brock, I didn't park in your bedroom so you could leave and talk on the phone! Get in here _now_!"

"Uh, I have to go!" Brock said quickly before ending the call.

Pikachu's long ears twitched in recognition of the familiar voice as they stared in stunned silence at the blank screen. "Was that...Kate?"

"Ugh, that guy." Misty palmed her face in disgust. "Talking to us while he's doing _that_."

"I think it's nice that he cared enough about us to answer our call even though he was about to..." Ash trailed off.

"I guess you're right," the gym leader conceded. "You always see the best in people."

Ash gave a grin to match hers, but for some reason it felt hollow. Why was he sad that Brock had a girlfriend? Did it have something to do with what Kate had said to him at Professor Oak's? He sat on a waiting bench and closed his eyes while Misty returned to the service desk.

"Pikapi? Are you all right?"

He opened his eyes and smiled at Pikachu, a real smile this time. "I'm just tired. You can call me Ash if you want."

She shook her head defiantly and took a seat next to him. "I've never thought of you as Ash. You're my Pikapi."

"And no matter what form you take, you're my Pikachu. You'd still be Pikachu to me even if you evolved." He scratched the top of her head, and when she let out a pleased "chaaaaa" he moved his hand to one of her pointy ears. "Your ears are soft. The rest of your hair is like a human's, but your ears still feel furry."

Her ears lowered in pleasure at his undivided attention. "You don't pet me enough."

"I'll try to remember that when all this is over." She leaned into his touch until she suddenly climbed into his lap. Ash rolled his eyes playfully. "You're too big to be doing that."

On the contrary, she felt like she was just the right size as his arms circled her. While on top of him, she was able to look down at his face, and her ears drooped lower as she remembered how long Ash had carried her, how many thunderbolts he had endured because of her refusal to evolve.

"I feel so much better now, thanks to you. I'm going to stay with you until you feel better too."

"What are you two doing?" Misty asked, shocked, but Ash didn't see anything wrong about the situation.

"Relax, it's just Pikachu."

Misty resisted the urge to groan at his innocence. "Ash, now that she's a human, maybe you shouldn't pet her. And Pikachu, maybe you shouldn't sit in his lap and…lick his face. People are staring."

Pikachu reacted to hearing an order she disagreed with the same way she always did: with stubbornness worthy of her best friend. Ash eyed the scene and noticed that people were indeed watching. The words "Dude, that's hot," drifted to him.

"Really, it's fine. Pikachu and I don't care what other people think about us."

"Cha!" she agreed.

Misty still didn't like it, but she supposed she had no reason to oppose it if they didn't mind looking unusual to others. Besides, she didn't need to feel jealous since he had just asked her on a date.

"Well, okay, if you're sure. Since we need three beds with Pikachu like this, I had to get two separate rooms. I'm going to call my sisters." Too embarrassed to tell him that she had left the Cerulean gym without telling anyone because she was mad at him, she left, and Pikachu resumed her ministrations.

Why did Ash look and smell so good to her? She hadn't gotten excited like this from the others in the Pokémon center, or when she saw Brock on the video monitor. Wanting to mark him with her scent so everyone would know he was hers, she nuzzled his cheek as though exchanging electrical charges with another Pikachu. Her body rubbed against his, and Ash noticed that even as a human, she was small and cute. His shirt hid her slender frame, but the friction against his body allowed him to feel the shape of her small breasts pressed against his chest.

"Pika..." she cooed, and his eyes closed, fatigue from all the running he had done today to save her catching up with him. When she began grinding against his leg, however, he snapped to attention.

Pikachu was still his same best friend, but she was...more now. The fact that he thought she was cute in a way she hadn't been before horrified him, and when he felt his body react to her warmth, he stood in alarm.

"Kachu?"

When had he ever reacted to a girl that way before? "Uh, let's see if Misty's done. We should get some rest."

"Pi…" she replied, disappointed, but if Ash was tired after saving her, she had no right to stop him.

With her in tow, he confronted Misty. "Uh, Mist...I think I just realized what you were saying about needing to treat Pikachu differently. I don't know if it's a good idea for her to sleep with me while she's human, but I don't want her to be alone. Can she sleep with you tonight?" He averted his eyes from his partner, ashamed that he had thought about his Pokémon in a sexual way, even for a moment. What must Pikachu think of him?

Misty hadn't expected Ash to admit she was right. She knew he loved his Pokémon and would never take advantage of them, but this was surprisingly mature of him. "Sure, Ash," she said warmly. "Come on, Pikachu. Let's go to bed."

"What about Pikapi?"

"Girls need their privacy. It's best if he sleeps in the other room while you're like this."

Pikachu huffed. She didn't want privacy: she wanted her Pikapi. But Ash deserved some private rest if he wanted it, so she let Misty lead her into their room.

Misty took the opportunity to lend a bra and underwear to the increasingly frustrated Pokémon. What was the point of all these clothes? The water trainer slipped her shorts off and climbed into bed, and since Pikachu was wearing Ash's pants, she did as he had always done and removed them.

Despite the tiring day, however, she lay awake late into the night. As Brock had warned her, she heard every sound, felt every fluctuation in the air. Shifting uncomfortably, she pulled on the elastic of her borrowed underwear and examined the small patch of curly hair beneath. Humans had hair in some places, but not others. They wore some clothes to bed, but not all of them. What was the point?

Since she never went into her Poké Ball, she always had Ash to keep her company. Now that he wasn't here, she felt alone despite Misty's presence. Why didn't he want her sleeping with him? Night fell onto her, crushing her chest, and she made her decision quickly.

A shower and a day of running had failed to coax Ash into unconsciousness. He and his little buddy hadn't been apart like this in years, and just as he was wondering whether he had been right to banish Pikachu to Misty's room, his door creaked open.

Light spilled into the room, illuminating blonde hair in the doorway. Dressed in only a shirt and a pair of panties, Pikachu closed the door and scurried to his bed.

She was already on top of him before he could react. He stiffened as the heat of her bare legs met his, as the softness of her bust pushed against his chest. She looked into his eyes pleadingly.

"Chaaaa," she whimpered, curling against him like the small creature she used to be, and he immediately felt like a jerk. Even though she wasn't speaking his language, he understood.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I let my awkwardness around your new form get the best of me. From now on I'll consider your feelings more often, okay? Let's go to sleep."

"Thank you," she whispered and licked his cheek. Ash grimaced; human tongues were much wetter than Pikachu ones.

Pikachu laid her head contentedly on his chest as she had done on so many other nights. Ash wasn't the most physically capable person, but he always had her back and she felt safe in his arms. Now that he was clean, his scent overwhelmed her, and countless memories of them lying together exactly like this eased her fears. Their many adventures passed before her closed eyes, a promise to each other to never give up on their dreams and always support each other.

His hand rested on the small of her back as it always did, and he willed himself to ignore its gentle curve. He thought of how much fun they'd had together and all the fun and challenges that still lay ahead of them once things returned to normal. No longer feeling awkward or perverted, he held his partner close and fell asleep.


End file.
